Italy: Emilia earthquake, first cancellations by tourists

National tourism agency's campaign begins

(ANSAmed) - ROME, MAY 31 - The first cancellations are being
made by Italians and foreigners not only in the areas affected
by the earthquake but in all the Romagna coast and even in areas
of Veneto and lake Como. In order to avoid the summer season to
be a disaster, the national tourism agency (ENIT) and the
mission structure for the revitalisation of Italy's image will,
in the next few weeks, launch a big media campaign on foreign
markets to reassure those who had already booked or were about
to do so.

"The first cancellations by tourists are being made", Maurizio
Melucci, tourism councillor in Emilia Romagna and member of
ENIT's administrative council, tells ANSA. "Not only in the
areas affected by the earthquake but on the Veneto coast and on
lake Como. Alarming reports are being sent abroad, in some cases
exploitation is being carried out for economic purposes: there
is an interest by competing countries to move masses of
tourists. For now the damage is limited but it must not be
underestimated. ENIT has already been at work for a few days in
order to give the right information to foreign markets; in the
next few weeks ENIT and the tourism department will launch a
campaign to avoid the devastating effects on tourism, beach
resorts and non, in the north of Italy." Also Patrizia Rinaldis,
president of the Accommodation Association in Rimini, says that
"many phone calls came through asking information." Rinaldis
added that "they are mainly requests arriving from Italians,
some of which are showing signs of a growing psychosis: we've
had cancellations for July although we're still in May and
there's been no damages here at all. Sure, the earth shook, but
the tremors were felt also in Piedmont. The economy is already
in a state of crisis and this is all we needed."(ANSAmed).